Campaign Debt Settlement Sought

Burdened with campaign debts, W. Harold Askew, the unsuccessful 1984 Democratic candidate for Broward County property appraiser, has filed in federal court to schedule repayment of $69,925 in personal debts.

Askew said, ``It`s not a bankruptcy per se,`` and indicated on Thursday he intends by 1990 to pay back every penny owed.

Something he plans definitely to sacrifice as too expensive to fit his new lifestyle will be politics.

``Let`s just say I`ve changed my priorities at this point,`` said Askew when asked whether public life had been worth the effort. ``I`m going to look after my family as the number one priority.``

He estimated that $25,000 of his debts were incurred during last year`s race for property appraiser.He borrowed money from his family in order to loan it to the campaign.

Those self-loans equaled half of Askew`s total campaign spending, which amounted to $49,500 spread over the September primary, the October runoff and the November general election.

In November, Askew collected only 38.6 percent of the vote against winning Republican incumbent William Markham.

Also contributing to Askew`s financial imbalance were legal fees he spent defending himself in his former capacity as a Pembroke Pines city commissioner. ``I won the lawsuit. It cost me $25,000 to win -- if you call that winning,`` Askew said.

And a four-month leave of absence from his job as internal auditor at the Sheriff`s Office in order to campaign also contributed to Askew`s deficit.

He said he decided not to go begging in the community for help in retiring his campaign expenses.:

``I just think if I had had the financial support, it would have been forthcoming during the campaign,`` he said. ``It wasn`t, and I entered into my own obligations.``

Askew`s shaky solvency was mentioned by his opposition as an issue during the recent campaign. Askew said the implication was that he would be a politician for sale if he won, but that just the opposite was true.

``You don`t get into the shape I`m in if you`re on the take,`` he said.